Marion

History

The city is named for Francis Marion, a brigadier general from South Carolina in the American Revolutionary War. Marion was founded in 1842 on land donated by Dr. John S. Gilliam shortly after Crittenden County was created January 26, 1842, from a portion of Livingston County. The city was incorporated February 22, 1844, and a post office was established in 1846. In 1864, at the end of the Civil War, the county courthouse in Marion was burned. A railroad line from Blackford to Princeton was completed in 1887, and a depot was established at Marion. Originally owned by the Illinois Central Railroad, it has since been abandoned. A one-room Rosenwald School opened in Marion in 1926 for African-American children. Graduates attended high school in neighboring Caldwell County until 1936, after which they attended high school in Princeton.

Geography

Marion is located near the center of Crittenden County at (37.332505, -88.079051). U.S. 60 and U.S. 641 intersect in the center of town. U.S. 60 leads northeast to Morganfield and southwest to Paducah, while U.S. 641 leads south to Fredonia and to U.S. 62 in Eddyville. According to the United States Census Bureau, Marion has a total area of , of which , or 0.79%, is water.

Race & ethnicity